Nanoimprinting technology of using a mold having a fine concavo-convex structure at the nanometer level formed on its surface and transcribing the fine concavo-convex structure onto a resist or a resin has been known. The nanoimprinting technology requires a shorter processing time than an electron beam method, requires low apparatus and material costs required to transcribe the fine concavo-convex structure, and is also excellent in the productivity, and thus attracts attention at present.
As a mold for nanoimprinting, the following has been proposed.
(1) A mold for imprinting covered with a perfluoropolyether having a functional group chemically reactive with the material of the mold (Patent Document 1).
Further, as an apparatus to transcribe the fine concavo-convex structure of the mold, the following has been known.
(2) A nanoimprinting apparatus which heats and pressurizes a substrate and a stamper having a fine concavo-convex structure formed on its surface, to form a fine concavo-convex structure on the substrate, and which has a mechanism to form a release material only on convexes of the stamper (Patent Document 2).
As the material of the mold (1), a metal, a resin, a semiconductor (silicon wafer) and an insulator may, for example, be mentioned. Further, as the material of the stamper (mold) of (2), a silicon wafer, a metal, glass, a ceramic and a plastic may, for example, be mentioned. Among them, in order to accurately transcribe the fine concavo-convex structure at the nanometer level, a silicon wafer must be used as the material of the mold. However, as a silicon wafer has low strength and durability, it can be used only several tens times, and further it is very expensive.
Accordingly, a method has been considered of using a silicon wafer having a fine concavo-convex structure formed on its surface as a master mold, and using a mold having the fine concavo-convex structure of the master mold transcribed to a resin. For example, Patent Document 3 discloses an intermediate stamper having a fine concavo-convex structure of a mold transcribed to a photocurable resin. However, this intermediate stamper is disposable, and there are concerns about its cost and heavy environmental burden.